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Think You Don’t Need Flood Insurance? Think Again.

As natural disasters have caused severe damage across the country and world, particularly in recent years with storms being extremely severe, it’s prompted emergency officials to promote the importance of flood insurance. It is a commonly held belief that flood insurance isn’t necessary, especially if you don’t live in a flood-prone area, but officials are working to change this perception, and help people get the protection they need, regardless of where they live.

New Mexico Flooding Serves as an Example

September was a bad month for New Mexico, due to severe flooding that occurred throughout the state, and now estimates are coming in. It’s being expected that it will be one of the most expensive disasters in the state’s history. Despite the widespread damage and destruction, many residents of the state will receive no relief at all.

The state itself will receive funding from FEMA in order to cover damages to infrastructure, including roads and bridges. State officials are expecting the damage to be somewhere in the $60 to $100 million range to fix these problems, but FEMA isn’t going to be covering the damage that was incurred by individual residents and homeowners.

The state is advising residents without flood insurance to reach out to nonprofit organizations for help, but that’s often easier said than done, as private nonprofit funding can be limited and difficult to obtain. For many homeowners, this disaster is only one more to add to the list of destruction, after another large storm in the state caused more than $11 million in damage in July.

Why Homeowners Should Be Covered with Flood Insurance

The situation in New Mexico underscores a vital concept—flood insurance is important. What’s consistently being reinforced is the fact that flooding doesn’t always occur in a flood-prone area. In fact, 25 percent of flooding in the U.S. occurs in areas that are categorized as low to moderate risk.

Unlike federal disaster assistance, flood insurance can pay homeowners even if a disaster isn’t declared, and the funding isn’t limited to infrastructure. Additionally, it’s important to note that federal disaster assistance is declared in less than half of all floods that occur throughout the U.S. annually.

Not only will most flood insurance cover the damage to the structure of a home or business, but it also often covers the personal belongings that are lost as the result of a flood. Another big benefit of flood insurance over federal disaster relief comes from the fact that disaster relief is often considered a loan that must be repaid with interest. With flood insurance, the policy holder isn’t required to pay back compensation received to cover damages.

When a person is affected by flooding and has flood insurance, their claim is handled promptly and not subjected to government setbacks and red tape, which can often significantly lengthen wait times to receive help.

With major storms like those in New Mexico, and even Hurricane Sandy fresh in many people’s minds, it may be the perfect time to rethink old ideas about flood insurance, and instead enjoy the peace of mind that comes with this coverage no matter where you live.

For more information about flood insurance, call Best Dry Flood and Mold Specialists at (858) 483-2505 as we often work with flood insurance companies to make sure your home in San Diego is well taken care of in the event of a flood. We can even recommend to you some insurance companies that we have worked with in the past so you receive the best coverage possible.